Ethnic violence between the Kuki tribes and Meiteis began on May 3; normality has not yet returned
New Delhi:
A terror suspect in Churachandpur hill district of Manipur has been arrested by the country’s top counter-terror agency in a transnational conspiracy case involving terrorist leaders in Bangladesh and Myanmar. The suspect is being taken to Delhi for interrogation and further investigation.
The suspect and his network in Myanmar and Bangladesh tried to exploit the Manipur crisis, the counter-terror agency said in a statement.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said in a post on by exploiting the ethnic groups.” unrest in Manipur.”
Gangte is also the prime suspect in the June 22 car bomb attack in Manipur’s Kwakta that left one person dead, police sources told NDTV. A Scorpio SUV parked near a small bridge had exploded on June 22, in what was seen as a serious escalation of violence. The attack had the typical hallmarks of trained terrorist hands, sources said at the time.
The NIA has not said which terrorist group Gangte belongs to.
Around 25 Kuki insurgent groups, mainly based in Churachandpur, have signed a trilateral suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre, state and army, under which the insurgents must stay in designated camps and keep their weapons in guarded warehouses Are stored. However, there are allegations that some insurgent groups from groups that are signatories to the SoO agreement have taken part in the violence in Manipur.
The NIA had filed the case on its own in July.
ACCUSED ARRESTED BY NIA FROM CHURACHANDPUR (MANIPUR) DISTRICT IN TRANSNATIONAL CONSPIRACY CASE. pic.twitter.com/L0FSfDja85
— NIA India (@NIA_India) September 30, 2023
“Investigations reveal that militant groups based in Myanmar and Bangladesh have entered into a conspiracy with a section of militant leaders in India to indulge in incidents of violence with the intention of driving a wedge between different ethnic groups and waging war against the government of India,” the NIA said in the statement today.
“And for this purpose, the leadership has provided funds to purchase weapons, ammunition and other types of terrorist hardware sourced from across the border as well as from other terrorist groups operating in the northeastern states to attack the current ethnic group stir up. struggle in Manipur,” the NIA said.
Gangte is the second terror suspect arrested in Manipur in the last nine days. On September 22, the NIA arrested Moirangthem Anand Singh in connection with a terror case.
